The work of interpreters and translators is vital to the success of Orange County’s multilingual learners, with 77 percent of the county’s school districts requesting interpreting and translation support every month, according to data collected by the Orange County Department of Education.
To meet this growing demand, OCDE hosted the 2024 Interpreters and Translators Conference from Oct. 3 to Oct. 5, welcoming language professionals from 80 school districts across the country. The annual conference provided a platform for attendees to participate in breakout sessions focused on enhancing community connections and increasing language access through the use of artificial intelligence.
Language Services Program Specialist Natalia Abarca said this conference began in response to the need for training, support and skill development for interpreters and translators nationwide.
“Interpreters and translators are among the most important people providing language access for students,” Abarca said.
Attendees, including language access advocates and educators, shared techniques for interpreting oral speech and translating written materials to better engage families and bridge communication gaps in school communities.
Since the conference’s inception, OCDE’s Language Services unit has worked to develop an awards program, lead professional development opportunities and start a countywide consortium to support educators. The team was recently honored with a prestigious Golden Bell Award from the California School Boards Association for its extraordinary efforts to promote language access countywide.
Veronica Adams Navarro, a translator from the Santa Clara Unified School District, said attending the conference boosted her confidence and made her realize that there’s a network of language professionals available for support. Sharing her personal story with students and parents has helped her break barriers for increasing language access.
“I came [to this country] as an immigrant, and I always helped my parents with a little bit of interpreting and was an English learner myself,” Navarro said. “When I tell my story, they’re like ‘OK, so you really are here to help me.’”
Watch the video above from OCDE’s Media Services team for an inside look at the eighth Interpreters and Translators Conference.